Pale Ash and Murky Waters
by Pridakal
Summary: How can someone with noble ambitions fall so far? At what point is innocence considered ignorance? What point does it turn into corruption? Follow the story of May Maple from humble origins and watch as she falls to a side she can never return from. This is a semi-original retelling of Pokemon Alpha Sapphire. T for violence/Some chapters may contain M-rated themes. (5th Book)
1. Pale Ash and Murky Waters

**I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

 **Pale Ash & Murky Waters**  
 **Chapter 1: Boring Towns and New Neighbors**

May Maple sighed heavily as she felt the van's tires transitioning onto the dirt road. They were close – a little too much for her own comfort. The more she thought about their destination, the more regret she felt towards her past. She couldn't help the circumstances, and she certainly couldn't make do with them.

The move was too sudden for May to properly inform her old friends. Her father, Norman Maple, announced to their family about two weeks ago that he had landed a job in Hoenn as a Gym Leader. She was happy – ecstatic even. How could she not be – especially with her own father? But she couldn't handle the fact that she, along with the rest of her family, had to drop their current lives and come move with him.

His reasoning, as he told her, was that it was still close to home, and he would be able to provide more for the family.

The van ran over a pothole causing May to fall over from her box-seat.

She could handle the move. She could handle saying goodbye. But the real kicker was the fact that her father would be working 2 cities away from the house that she would be living in.

For as long as May could remember, she held her father very close and dear to her heart. She, in her much younger days, would often consider him a champion. There was not a day in her mind where she didn't see her father – save for the slumber parties she had with her friends.

However, as all humans age, May had matured and dropped the binds of adolescent attachment to safety and security. Soon came the phase of parental annoyance and juvenile separation.

Another pothole.

She held some sort of taboo against consorting with her parents for the majority of her teenage life; however, deep down, she wanted nothing more than to have both of them home when she would return from the prison society called 'school'. Now that was taken away from her.

May felt the van begin to slow to a halt. She mumbled a curse under her breath when the rumbling of the engine stopped and the front doors opened.

"Here we go," she whispered to herself as the movers opened up the trailer.

…

Littleroot: a town that cannot be shaded any hue. At least that's what the Hoenn Region's guide had said. May hopped out of the truck onto the dirt and gravel with particles of dust still roaming in the air. She looked around the area fighting the cough that was ascending in her chest.

Littleroot was a quiet town. Not noisy, bustling, or populated by the looks of it; though, that could be because of the early hour they had arrived. Perhaps it was the heat of the rising sun mixed with a salty humidity.

Either way, May concluded one fact from a simple look around: this town was boring.

"Perfect. Small town, nothing to do, no one to talk to, and nowhere to go. I bet there's no oddish here either," she spoke to herself. She was broken out of her monologue after hearing her mother call out to her.

"May! Come inside and see your room!" Said an oddly excited Caroline Maple.

"Alright. Let me just get my things…"

"Don't worry about that! Let the movers get it!"

May turned around and met the gaze of a blue, anthropomorphic reptilian carrying a box labeled 'May Maple' with a heart on top of it. There is a saying that goes, "It is better to stare into the barrel of a gun than into the eyes of a machoke," but May simply didn't care. It definitely wasn't the first time she challenged the myths of Pokemon dangers, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Without breaking eye contact, she came forward and grabbed the box out of the machoke's hands. She then supported the box under one arm while reaching forward to pet _his_ snout to thank him for his services. He gave a low grumble and returned to his duties while May gave a small giggle.

She slowly walked towards the front door – glancing left and right at her surroundings. Right as she entered the door, she noticed a figure looking at her from outside a neighboring house.

"Honey, I thought I told you to let the movers take care of your things?" said a disheartened Caroline.

"I know, Mom, but I'd rather carry my more _sensitive_ items myself," she argued dropping her volume near the end. A look of realization and then understanding found their way on Caroline's face as she realized just what was in the box.

"Mom! Where's my computer?!" the youngest child, Max, called throughout the house. Before their mother could even take a breath, May took this opportunity to mess her brother.

"Oh, Max, I forgot to tell you: Dad sold your computer to pay for the movers," she said without missing a beat. The house was silent for a good moment before the sound of soft, but heavy, steps were heard coming down the stairs.

Max entered the common area with a dreadful expression behind his thick glasses. The 10-year-old wore a green polo with black shorts and black sneakers.

"No he didn't," he stated, hoping he had said the truth. Seeing his expression was enough to satisfy May and she burst in a fit of laughter. Max, understanding that it was a prank, stuck his tongue out at his sister and ran outside to find his computer.

"Do you really have to be mean to him? You know, you should be lucky that you have a brother," Caroline informed her daughter; only, it wasn't the first time that May had heard this speech.

"I know," she grudged at her mother, "'1 in every 3 people in the world is an only child.' I said it back then and I'll say it again: those numbers aren't luck."

"Neither was being able to move in this lovely neighborhood," Caroline distracted herself. May took this opportunity to head to her room and set down her things. Pushing open the door, she nearly vomited at the remnants of the last inhabitant.

Pink had covered nearly every square inch of the place. The walls, carpet, sheets; even the ceiling fan was pink. The only object that could distract her from this pink white-room was the brown desk in the corner. Luckily, the old owners left it here for May. It was a nice desk; nothing too extravagant and certainly not dull. However, it provided a nice – or the only – change of pace for the design of the room.

She sighed as she set her personal box on the bed; she dared not take a seat due to the unknown aspects of what had happened on those sheets before. Looking at the clock on the wall, she noticed that it did not match with the time on her Pokégear.

'Here's to starting a new life,' she thought as she pushed the button on the back, consequently starting the clock after it had been corrected.

"May," her mother called, "I was thinking, for dinner, we could have… pink," she blurted obviously. She looked around the room and squinted her eyes as if she was looking into a bright light.

"Makes you wanna hurl, right?" May asked.

"Well… after some repainting and a little bit of alter-interior decorations, this room will be more appealing to the eye. Anyways, I was thinking that for dinner the three of us could go out to one of the local diners. Sound good?" Caroline asked, hoping it would give May a chance to meet some people instead of moping around.

"So Dad's not coming with us?" she assumed correctly to Caroline's misfortune.

"I'm sorry sweety, but your father is trying to settle the deal with the Petalburg mayor."

"He didn't do that before we moved?" May asked accusingly.

"This is something else. Now that he owns and maintains the gym building, he should ensure that it's in proper working condition."

May sighed, "I think I'll pass, mom." Caroline looked at her daughter with a knowing look.

"Alright, but if you're not going to come along with us, then I want to introduce yourself to one of our new neighbors today," she gave the ultimatum.

"Mom?!" May complained.

"No buts! I want you to meet some people in your youth. Go out; have an adventure. It's how I met your father," Caroline said with a wink before she left the room and shut the door. "I'll order a pizza for you, is that alright?"

"…Yeah," May replied, "it's alright." The teenager sighed with despair as she wondered who to visit. Before she could do that, however, she had to shower and change; a 12-hour ride in the back of a van surely wouldn't impress anyone.

* * *

 _"I see a dust trail following an old red Nova  
Baby blue eyes your head on my shoulder…" _May sung softly as the steamy water hit the back of her neck. It was her friend, Jimmy, that introduced her to the Age-Music Genre. This particular genre in music was a collection of recovered hits from the past that had been lost in the great war.

Jimmy's favorite subgenre was an old one called 'country.' Their sound, along with many other old-country artists, were made popular 40 years ago in Johto and Unova, but remained unknown – for the most part – everywhere else. Including Hoenn. May couldn't say she was a big fan – or a fan at all – of country, but she couldn't deny she liked the melody of the song.

"May, your singing is horrible!" Max yelled from behind the door. Shocked from the high-frequency volume out of nowhere, may threw her bottle of shampoo at the door which had successfully scared her little brother away.'

"Can I ever shower in piece?" May asked herself. After rinsing the soap and shampoo from her body, she grabbed the white towel hanging on the rack just above the toilet. She wrapped it around herself and looked into the mirror. Sticking her hand out, May wiped a portion of the mirror's steam away to get a good look at herself. What took her attention from everything else were her breasts. For some reason, she always felt uncomfortable about them. Some days she would think them as too small, others she would think them as too large.

She gave both a gentle squeeze and chuckled at herself. "How you and Dad met, huh?"

May walked to her room with her towel in a vice grip to prevent her perverted little brother from trying to remove it from her body. Luckily he had been too preoccupied with arranging all his things in his new room. May went inside her own and shut the door, locking it behind her back.

May was now staring at three boxes, her personal box, her box of clothing, and the box that held all the memories she had before her move. Knowing she would get to the latter one later, she opened the personal box and retrieved a set of matching underwear. As she pulled her panties up to her thighs, she was looking at the light on the ceiling, or rather, where there should be one. May didn't care, there was still light in her room. That was all that mattered.

However, when she began to place her bra on her chest, she slowly turned her head to that mysterious source of light: the window. Straight out from that window, was a balcony on the house adjacent to this one. On that balcony was a teenage boy, no younger than 16, leaning on the rail with one hand on his chin. He couldn't have looked more bored.

That is until he decided to look through May's window and catch a peek of her in her underwear. The young man took a few seconds to process while May did the same. Finally, after ample time of looking at each other, the boy widened his eyes and mouthed something before proceeding to step back. Unfortunately, his mother, who was behind him, startled him off the balcony and on to the ground with a thud. May immediately shut the blinds on her windows to prevent any peepers or confusion with that boy's mother.

While she was embarrassed and certainly had a few words to say to that pervert, one thing was clear in her mind: she knew which neighbor she was going to be visiting.

* * *

"Alright Mom, I'm going out," May called from the front door.

"Wait! May! Max! Come here!" Caroline yelled from the living room. Thinking it was some sort of emergency, May rushed to the living room. She was let down by the fact that her mother was referring to the program on the TV. "They're showing the Petalburg Gym! Maybe your father will be on," she suggested hopefully.

 _"We bring you this report live from the Petalburg Gym!"_ the reporter said before cutting back to the news room.

"Oh," Caroline said with disappointment, "You just missed him. So, where are you going?" she asked her daughter.

"To the neighbor's house to introduce myself," May said with annoyance.

"Really? Oh, let me come with you-"

"Mom, you're going to meet people this evening. Let me go by myself" she argued.

"Alright, alright. What's with that outfit?" her mother asked. May wore a comfortable, red, dry-fit shirt with white shorts over black spats. Her long hair was tied into a bun in the back with her bangs over the side of her head.

"It's hot and humid here, so I'm dressing comfortably," she drudged. The bandana on her head tied into a bow was an added feature only for cosmetic appearance.

"Oh, well you still look cute. Have fun and tell me all about it when you get back," she said with her standard cheerful expression. May simply sighed and walked out the door.

"15 years old and she still calls me cute," she whispered to herself with annoyance. Nevertheless, she still had a goal in mind: to give that peeper a piece of her mind. She took a deep breath and made her way to the house next door and knocked.

"Coming!" an older woman said from inside. May took another deep breath and put on the best fake smile she could.

"Hello," she greeted when the door open. On the other side was a woman with the ideal image of a mother. When she noticed her guest, she smiled warmly.

"Ah, you must be the new neighbor! Hello, I'm Catherine Birch," she said with bubbly cheer as she stuck her hand out for May to shake.

"May Maple, it's nice to meet you."

"Yes I feel the same. Come in!" Catherine held the door open for May. She wiped her shoes on the mat and stepped inside, overwhelmed by the intoxicating aroma of cooking meat.

"Wow, that smells great," May complemented, "What's the occasion?"

"You haven't heard? Oh, well I supposed you just got here too. Anyways, everyone in town is making a potluck for you guys, the new neighbors. It's a tradition here in Littleroot."

"Really? Just for the new neighbors?" May asked, a little overwhelmed by the large gesture.

"Why yes, here in Littleroot, everyone is practically family. So much that you can just walk into someone's house without knocking." May was caught off guard by the little tidbit of information.

"Isn't that kind of… rude?" she asked without intention to throw an insult.

"Not here it isn't. I suppose you want to meet the rest of the family too. Let's see…" Catherine trailed off with her thumb and index finger on her chin. She tried to remember just where the other two in the house had gone off to. Thanks to her memory, she was quite forgetful at times.

"Oh yes," she continued, "My husband, Thomas, is in his lab and Brendan, my son, is up in his room. You should go talk to him. He doesn't have many friends, so someone in his age group is sure to make him surprised."

As funny as May thought it was, she deplored the act of Catherine revealing personal information to someone she just met. If anyone understood the troubles of teenage adolescence more than anyone, it was May. In fact, hearing that made May pity her peeper more than want to strangle him.

"Thank you, I'll go say hi to him now," she said to avoid hearing any other personal secrets. "Mothers," she scoffed. May made her way down the hall and up the stairs towards a room with its door cracked open. Light from the sun's rays seeped through it and illuminated the hallway and stairwell barely.

May took another deep breath and knocked on the door, only for it to swing open and reveal an empty room. She was surprised, his room was oddly clean for a boy; everything was organized in a neat and tidy way and there was hardly a speck of dust on the furniture. It was almost too clean for her liking.

From how Catherine had been acting, it wouldn't surprise her too much if Brendan was really a ghost and his mother was just coping with loss. However, it wouldn't serve her any purpose if she came over to rant at a peeping ghost.

"Hey," a voice called from behind her. She jumped and turned around towards the source – which happened to be the same boy that was on the balcony. "Who are you; what are you doing here?" he asked her menacingly. He wore a red and black dry-fit shirt with black jeans and – strangely enough – black shorts over the jeans. His most distinguishing feature was the white hat on his head. One wasn't careful, they could mistake it for his hair. May had felt a bit threatened by his demeanor and froze on the spot.

"I-I… Uh… I just came by t-to… hi?" she said awkwardly. Brendan was unfazed, leading May to take the initiative and calm herself down. "My name is May Maple."

"May Maple? Wait a second… Maple… Oh right! You're one of the new neighbors!" He realized joyfully.

"Mmhm," May sounded, hoping that he would get the hint.

"Well, nice to meet you. I'm Brendan," he said while scratching the back of his head and looking out the window. Looking outside, a thought came to his mind and his eyes widened. He turned back to May who had an impatient smile on her face – almost as if she was waiting for his specific reaction.

"Oh my- you're that… Geeze I am so sorry-"

"Are you now? Most boys your age would consider themselves lucky," May scolded coldly.

"No, that's not what happened! I swear!" He tried to reason with her.

"Humor me," May challenged.

"Okay. Well, I was out on the balcony thinking about what I'll be doing in about a month and then… you appeared," he explained. Though, what he meant, and what May understood, were two very different things.

"Excuse me?" May asked, unsure if she had heard correctly. "Did you say what I think you said?" she asked, her temperament becoming very short.

"What? Oh, shit. Dammit! Look, I didn't mean it that way! It's just you caught me off guard, and your inn my room, and you think I was staring, and you're pretty, and I got a lot of things on my mind…" He stopped when he realized that not only as May unimpressed, but what he had said to her as well. He took a deep breath and began again.

"Look… I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let's just… start over. Sound cool?" He asked her with his hand outstretched.

May thought for a moment and decided that it was for the best. She extended her hand and shook Brendan's. "May Maple," she reintroduced.

"Brendan Birch," he said with a smile; one that May was fond of.

"So you're the famous Professor's kid?" May asked. Brendan laughed and shook his head.

"If I had a pokemon for every time I was associated with his legacy… Yeah I'm him," he said.

"What's it like? You do a lot of field work?" May asked while plopping down on his bed for what would be a very long conversation for two people that had just met each other.

* * *

"…Wait… so you… hahaha… your dad tried using a rock-smash on a graveler?" May asked hysterically, unable to contain her laughter.

"Yep. And then he ran away as soon as he could," Brendan continued his memory.

"But wait… where were you?" May asked, tears of laughter streaming from her eyes.

"Where do you think?" Brendan suggested with raised eyebrows. That was the moment that he lost May to laughter. For a solid 10 minutes she rolled on and off his bed laughing hysterically at his past misfortune.

"Hahaha! Oh… oh that's so funny," she commented as she began to calm down.

"Definitely wasn't one of our finest moments together. I stopped talking to him for about a week… It just goes to show what a clumsy guy he is."

"No doubt about it… no offense," May corrected at the end. Brendan waved it off as friendly talk and continued.

"Yeah, he'll probably miss the potluck again this year, for you guys," he said sadly as he looked upwards.

"Isn't he in his lab right now?" May asked, confused at his demeanor.

"Is that what Mom told you?" Brendan asked. The lack of response told him all he needed to know. "Yeah, my dad does that often. Somedays he'll go to the lab and, out of nowhere, leave on a 2-day fieldtrip. He only tells me, but I'm not sure why."

"Well, at least he's around and tells you things," May contradicted.

"What do you mean?" Brendan asked. It didn't dawn on May that in the three hours the two had talked, she hadn't told him just what kind of relationship her and her father shared. However, as soon as she went to open her mouth, Catherine barged in; startling the two.

"Hey Brendan, are you ready to go yet – oh my goodness," she said startled when she noticed that May was still here. "I'm sorry May, I didn't know you were still here. Anyways, are you two coming to the potluck?" She asked the two. Both looked to each other in some sort of telepathic conversation that the elder woman couldn't understand. Both nodded when they came to the same conclusion.

"Thank you Mom, but-"

"I would love to Mrs. Birch. I'm dying to see how that pot roast of yours has fared," May finished, interrupting Brendan. It seemed that she had said the perfect sentence for Catherine.

"Oh, it's really no big deal, but thank you May. Really."

As soon as Catherine left, Brendan looked back at May with an expression that read, 'What was that?'

"What? I like to eat."

* * *

 **a/n**

 **And thus, I publish the beginning to my third story. Any thoughts?**

 _ **Glory to Alexander**_


	2. Hot Food and Midnight Howls

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

 **Hot Food and Midnight Howls**

The gym was quiet, save for the heavy breathing of a trainer and his pokemon. There was a light illuminating the mock-field, but everything else was encased in darkness – much like a basketball court after hours.

"Again…" the trainer breathed heavily. His pokemon obeyed with a nod and grunt. The trainer got into a battle-ready stance in front of his pokemon, who towered over him, and began to throw punches at its torso. For a solid minute, the man kept his pace and breathed while executing each strike. After he deemed it enough, he gave a command.

"Now, Retaliate!" he ordered. Immediately, the pokemon turned around, pounced on a spot on the field, and began to pound it ferociously as if on a rampage. It bashed the ground with two fists, then one fist after the other. It threw up dirt as it continued to assault the field relentlessly. While some would look at the scene scared out of their wits, the trainer knew that his pokemon's technique was sloppy.

Finally, the pokemon's stamina gave out and it took a seat on what used to be hard earth. It then scratched its head and looked around clueless as if it had forgotten what it had done.

"Dammit," the trainer whispered. "You need more focus," he yelled across the field, "You're just bashing around with no purpose. Remember what I taught you; pound, one, two, pound, one, two, toss, pound-"

His pokegear rang on the wooden desk in front of the benches, interrupting him from his constructive criticism. He jogged over and picked the device up. Looking at the name, he knew he had to answer; however, he wasn't in the mood to give an answer to the question he already knew.

"Hello?" he answered. "Oh, hi honey… I'm still at the gym training with Slaking… I'm sorry… I'm sorry, but I can't come tonight… Yeah… Still have paperwork… Alright… Have fun, tell the kids I love them, and tell the town that I apologize for not being able to make it… I'll introduce myself another time… alright… Alright I love you too… Bye."

As he finished, he caught a glimpse of his tri-fold wallet. It was open – just as he set it down – revealing a picture of two teenage men. Both wore caps and big, goofy smiles that were arrogant towards the world around them.

"Why'd you have to go," he whispered to himself as he set down the pokegear. He missed the old days – the days in which he was a trainer.

But he wasn't a trainer anymore. The gym leader looked at his watch and then back to the slaking that stared into space.

"Again…"

* * *

The neighborhood was ecstatic. It wasn't every day that a new neighbor moved into Littleroot. In fact, it was quite a rare occurrence, but for a small town, such an occasion was worth celebrating. Not only did it introduce newcomers to such a lovely community, it also brought the town together into a name-base cohesion.

Everyone knew everyone and everything. The Jones' family knew about the Yukki elder who turned 81 about a few miles down. The Garcia's, thanks to the woman of the house being the principal off the town's elementary school, knew every child that walked through those school gates every morning. The Birch's knew every person that had ever become a trainer in their time living here, as well as every household in town.

This cohesion is exactly what had frightened May to begin with. Growing up in the city, she wasn't exactly used to a neighborhood that cared for one-another. To say the least, she wasn't exactly excited about the fact either.

"So does that mean everyone in the town is a peeper?" she asked Brendan.

"Are you going to let that go, or are you just being paranoid?" he responded.

"Well, paranoia did win the war."

"Yeah… for the other side."

"Really?" May asked in astonishment.

"Do they teach you history in Johto, or do they just give you a grade and send you off?" Brendan asked with slight sarcasm.

"OK, so maybe I didn't pay attention that much in class," she admitted, "Did you?"

"Yeah; everyone does. It's how we graduate."

An awkward silence fell upon the two as they made their way to the town center. Once they caught sight of the small festival, May felt a chill run down her spine – as if she stepped into a cold breeze.

"Uh, May?" Brendan asked the blue-eyed brunette.

"What is it?" she asked, beginning to think of some correlation between the chill and his question.

"Your hair," he spoke cryptically.

"What about it?"

"It's… moving," he stated while moving his hands up and down the sides of his head to mimic what he was saying. May cautiously moved her hands up to the sides of her head and felt her bangs moving up and down on her own as if someone was manipulating them. She gave a small squeal and began to run around in circles in an attempt to stop her hair's movement. Brendan, on the other hand, found it quite comical and snickered quietly.

"Dark Pulse," an intelligent voice spoke calmly. Shortly after, a slightly large mightyena began howling up at the moon. Brendan looked carefully as the air around Mightyena's muzzle became distorted. The slight distortion became larger in a sort of shockwave that eventually engulfed May's figure.

The movement of her hair ceased, and a figure appeared out of thin air. It struggled in its levitation with the headache induced by the dark pulse. While Brendan watched the scene with genuine interest, May looked in horror at the ghost that was previously torturing her.

Brendan had seen this ghost – or rather pokemon – before in one of his father's research journals. Easily identified by its small body, large head, waving hair and a red-bead necklace, it was a misdreavus.

"That's enough, Mightyena," the intelligent voice spoke again. The dark wolf ceased its howling and returned to its trainer's side. This trainer was undoubtedly professional. He wore a blood-red tuxedo with a black vest and shirt. The neck tie, also red, had a small 'omega' pattern on it. The man was in his late forties with a pale complexion on his stoic face and fiery-red hair that ran down to his neck. It was slicked back, so it wouldn't disrupt his vision that was aided with a pair of thick glasses.

"Wow, uh… thank you mister…" May began.

"Call me Maxie. No need for any formalities," he spoke collected with a friendly smile. Brendan and May looked at each other and shrugged. "I do apologize for the rude introduction, but I simply couldn't let you go with a poltergeist on your back."

"Isn't that a Misdreavus?" May asked him while taking another step away from the ghost who was still shaking its body.

"Indeed it is, and I shall catch it for now," he stated while plucking a pokeball from under his jacket. With a click of the button, the ball enlarged itself mechanically. He gave a simple toss at the misdreavus and landed a direct hit. The device opened and scanned the ghost with red light, only for it to close and drop to the ground. The misdreavus smiled evilly as it began to fade into the night.

 **"Sayonara, uso-tsuki,"** a girl's voice, the misdreavus' voice, whispered softly. All three looked towards the spot it vanished. While May began to feel fear, Brendan was mouth-agape in awe. Maxie held his stoic expression and recalled his Mightyena back inside his pokeball.

"There's nothing to fear, little girl," he assured May, "Poltergeists are sneaky, but they do have a sense of respect for power. This one won't be returning again."

"What did it say? I couldn't understand its language?" Brendan pondered out loud. May began to wonder as well until Maxie decided to clear it up for them.

"It was speaking in an old language; one that even historians can't decipher," he began.

"You mean a language of Olde?" Brendan asked with full attention.

"Precisely," Maxie continued, "This Poltergeist was, if I had to assume, a human in the days of Olde. Perhaps a mischievous one at that, hence the species. You have nothing to worry about," he assured May, "this one won't cause you any more harm."

"Are you sure?" she doubted.

"Well, nothing is for certain, but I can at least assure you that it won't bug you for a good while. If the problem persists, I would consider getting a poochyena."

"I'll keep that in mind… thank you, Maxie," she said while holding her hand out for him to shake.

"It was a pleasure miss… Oh! How rude of me; I seem to have forgotten my manners in letting the two of you provide your own introductions," he apologized.

"Brendan Birch," said the boy.

"Brendan Birch! The young professor's prodigal son," the older man exclaimed in fascination. Brendan waved it off while shaking his head.

"No, it's just regular Brendan. I'm trying to go my own path without being attached to my dad's legacy."

"I know that feeling all too well. And you? Miss…"

"Maple. May Maple," she said as she shook his hand once again.

"May Maple? I don't think I remember that… Oh right! The potluck!" Maxie remembered. "You must be the new neighbor then! And, correct me if I'm wrong but, your father is the new gym leader, isn't he?" he asked in a form of excitement that made May feel uneasy.

"Yeah, but same as Brendan. I'm not trying to be known as the 'daughter of a gym leader," she spoke somberly.

"I understand it all. Well, I must be heading my own way now. It was nice to see you children, and may you walk bountiful among the earth!"

"Thanks… you too?" May responded awkwardly. "Have you seen him before?" she whispered to Brendan.

"No… but… I don't know. I think I've heard of him. That symbol on his chest seemed oddly familiar," he said. Out of the silence, a loud growl was heard making Brendan jump in surprise. He looked in every direction to find the source, but stopped when he caught eye of May looking down with her bangs covering her eyes. Her hands were on her stomach and she appeared to be slouching ever-so slightly.

"We really need to go to the party," May stated.

[…]

For as long as May could remember, her stomach was a bottomless pit that devoured entire tables of sustenance. Her old friends often laughed at those who have never witnessed her eating habits; convincing those to believe that they were seeing something paranormal.

'What better way to have the neighborhood know me than to set the bar?' she thought as she continued compiling every bit of food onto her plate. By the time she sat down at the table Brendan had gone to, he had already finished his plate and looked at her with an awestruck, open mouth.

"You don't play around, do you?" Brendan asked keeping a hold of his current face.

"Let's just say that no one has stolen a single fry from me without feeling some sort of physical pain," she deadpanned before digging in to the feast she considered a slightly-better-than-average meal.

Neighbors that looked at the scene had mixed feelings. There were those that were completely disgusted by her lack of manners and cordial professionalism, and there were those that applauded her for being able to consume so much while retaining a favorable figure.

Eventually, Caroline caught sight of her daughter eating everyone's food and made a mental facepalm. 'Well, at least she likes all of the neighbor's food. No complaints there,' she thought to herself in an effort to bring out the positive side.

Max found his sister and immediately shivered in embarrassment. He tried to shove that image of her devouring a turkey leg out of his head, but to no avail. For the next half-hour of his life, his new friends questioned his stoic face and unemotional antics.

Even the town's pie-eating champion of three years was in shock of how much food she was consuming per second. He was certainly impressed that she was still of a fit build. He considered asking her what her secret was to keeping slim, but was soon distracted by the music being cut off for an announcement.

 **"Good evening everyone!"** a woman said over the microphone. **"I hope you're all enjoying yourselves tonight?"** Immediately she received shouts and cheers from all over the town square. Even May, who wasn't keen on being so social, raised her fist in the air as she continued her feast. **"I want to propose a toast to our newest residents: The Maple Family,"** she said while holding up her wine glass. The conversations slowed to a halt as everyone raised up whatever glass they were drinking be it alcohol or juice. May noticed that her glass of cider was empty, but raised it anyway.

 **"Maples, on behalf of Littleroot, I want to wish you a happy life here, and hope the best of your dreams come true. Cheers!"** With that, the clings of glasses resonated throughout the area with cheers given here and there. 'Welcome' was echoed across the square as everyone welcomed the Maple family to their beloved town.

 **"I'm sorry to inform you all that Mr. Norman Maple could not join us tonight due to the fact he is still settling in at the Petalburg Gym -which, by the way, will be open for business in a week…"**

May tuned out the rest of the speech after hearing that. "Of course he isn't here," she said to herself, "he never is." Another round of applause was given, snapping May out of her thoughts.

 **"Alright, everyone: enjoy!"** The woman left the stage and the music resumed. May, still focused on her thoughts, took advantage of the party's distraction – as well as Brendan talking with a couple of his friends – and left the scene.

She didn't know where she was going, and, consequently, didn't care. She walked across town thinking about her father's constant absence from her life. He was always busy. Having people look to her as the daughter of a gym leader only added salt to the wound. How could she be proud of a gym leader as a father if he couldn't even be a proper father?

She stopped shortly as she felt her lip begin to quiver. 'No, May. You're a strong girl,' she told herself. 'You don't need him.' She laughed at that thought. With how much he was gone, it was almost as if she had never needed him. Yet, her mother and brother still looked up to him as the breadwinner and father he wasn't.

May wiped her eyes of the tears that began to form there and looked up. She was quite surprised that she made it to the edge of town. To be exact, she was at the gate to route 101. It looked intimidating to her; it _was_ intimidating. The one good thing she could rely on from her father was the stories that he shared with her and Max. The stories of his time as a beginner trainer. He told them that the routes are harsh if ill-prepared. Wild pokemon lay beneath the grass and in the trees just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting trainers.

For a brief moment, in the clarity of silence and loneliness, she was drawn to the forest. As if something inside her was beckoning to join whatever lay beyond that boundary. She shook her head and dismissed the thought; there was no way she would do that. To walk into a route without a pokemon was considered suicide or something similar. Before those thoughts returned, she turned around and began to head back to the square.

She was stopped suddenly by a howl and a scream – a man's scream. She turned back around to Route 101 and concluded that the source was not too far off from the gate. She could help, but without a pokemon, she was completely defenseless and more of a liability than an asset.

The screams continued and she weighed the option of going in to help or save herself and find someone more capable.

"Help!" she heard clearly. Immediately, she dropped all sense of self-preservation and sprinted towards the forest. The moment she passed the gate was the moment she committed to this rescue. There was no turning back. She ran full speed to the source of trouble, making a left turn about 100 meters in.

There, she found a lamp on the ground next to an open briefcase. The lamp illuminated the are well enough for her to see what was happening. A man was running in horror as three poochyena chased him with vicious attitude and nasty barks. The man, wearing a labcoat with shorts and sandals, found no other option than to climb a tree. He made it to a sturdy branch, but the poochyena refused to let up.

"Help!" the man shouted again. May was lost with options. In this scenario, she was helpless. She mentally berated herself as she insisted that she should have gone back to find someone with a pokemon. There was no way that she could take on three small wolves by herself. The fact that the man had no pokemon with him made this situation even more dire.

That was, until she took a second look at the briefcase. Inside were three pokeballs miniaturized. She questioned why the man hadn't used these, but dismissed the thought in the heat of the situation. She ran up to the brief case and picked a random pokeball, enlarging it with the press of the button. She pointed it at the poochyena saying, "I choose you," silently.

May went unnoticed, but the ball opened revealing nothing inside. She cursed herself as she threw the ball aside and frantically grabbed another. The blood pumping through her veins was so fast that she felt like passing out. Only the thought of her as dog food pulled her from her lapse in reality.

She pressed the button, enlarging the second pokeball, and pointed it again at the trio of wolves. "I choose you!" she yelled this time. While nothing happened with the ball, the poochyena turned around from their original prey for another. The man in the tree caught sight of the girl and thanked the heavens for her rescue attempt. But when he noticed her lost expression mixed with the three wolves inching toward her with growing growls, he realized that she didn't know how to summon a pokemon.

"Throw it!" he told her. May, without questioning his command, obeyed and threw the pokeball at the wild pokemon.

"I choose you!" she shouted once again. With a flash of light, and a loud pop mixed with the sound of electronic scanning, a pokemon emerged from the device looking eager to fight. It was small, about a foot and half high. It looked like an orange bird with an oversized head and three tuffs of feathers on top. It chirped loudly as if it was trying to screech at the poochyena.

May had lost herself from examining the pokemon and forgot to call an attack. At the last moment, guessing its biological type from its coloring, she called out to it, "Use a fire attack! Use ember! Do something!"

On command, the small chick opened its mouth and shot bits of what appeared to be burning coal at the wolves. They were pelted by the hot projectiles and split up. Two went to May's right and one went to the left. All three howled at the same time, confusing May as well as scaring her.

She shook her head again as she began to focus on the battle she put herself in. She took a deep breath and gave a second order to the orange chick.

"Use ember on those two to my right, I'll take care of the one on the left," she ordered. The chick chirped in acknowledgement and began another assault on the two poochyena. While it did that, May turned to the lone wolf and began to shoo it away. As per most of the time, this did not work as well as she planned it out, and the poochyena leaped towards her.

Without a second to spare, she swung her fist at the wolf and landed a direct hit to its muzzle, but that was only enough to knock it down. She felt almost bad for having to hurt the poor pup, but remembering the situation she was in, she had no other choice.

The bird pokemon continued its battle with the other two wolves. It fired more embers at its enemy, but they jumped left and right in a successful attempt to dodge. May caught a glimpse of the two poochyena coming in on both sides of the pokemon, and she began to think creatively.

"Hey, jump in the air and spin while using ember," she commanded while also striking the wolf that leaped once again towards her. "I'll hide behind the tree so don't worry about hitting me." The chick understood perfectly and, right before the wolves impacted it, leaped in the air into a spin. It fired off embers in rapid succession creating a cone of fire around its being. The two wolves, too late to dodge, were hit heavily by this attack and fell to the ground, unmoving.

May, who was distracted by the sight, was unaware of the third poochyena closing in on her from behind. Only a warning from the man in the tree and a vicious growl from the wolf told her to turn around. She was too late, and, if it hadn't been for a scratch from the chick's talons, her face would have been maimed. The force of the impact between the chick and the poochyena was enough to put the wolf to sleep while the bird stood strong. May gave a heavy sigh of relief and laughed at herself.

May had just survived an attack from three poochyena with the help of whatever that orange bird was. She slouched against the tree into a seat and enjoyed the ecstasy of post-combat.

The man, however, had never been more intrigued in his life. This young lady had just effortlessly thwarted a small pack of poochyena with a pokemon she had never seen before. To make the situation even more remarkable, she looked as if she didn't know what she was doing in the first place.

"Wow," was all he could say as he climbed down the tree. The chick gave a small chirp as it stared up at May in what looked like admiration. May looked up at the man with a bead of sweat dripping down her face. All the embers, though extinguished from the moisture of Hoenn, increased the temperature of the night and made her hotter. Thankfully, the moisture-wicking outfit she wore was perfect for her body as only her exposed areas were sweating profusely.

"Yeah…" May responded.

"First of all, thank you very much for saving me. I would have grabbed a pokeball myself if they hadn't broken off that route from me. Second, what in the world was that?!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Are you a trainer?" he asked. May shook her head, too tired to speak properly. "Even so, what you did was amazing; especially with a pokemon you just met! Oh, I'm Professor Birch by the way," he mentioned while taking a knee down next to her.

"Birch? As in _the_ Professor Birch?" May asked. She doubted the possibility with the reality of his appearance.

"Yeah, but enough about me. Who are you?"

"May… Maple," she exhaustedly told him.

"May Maple," he repeated. "You must be one of Norman's kids," he assumed to May's surprise. She was unaware of the fact that Birch and her dad must have met before, and the first-name basis was completely unexpected.

"You know my dad?"

"Well, a little bit, but it explains how you did so well against three wild pokemon by yourself. You must have his skill in your blood."

May remained silent and induced an awkard silence between the two of them Professor Birch intended for her to go on from his open statement, but was let down instead. He looked to the orange chick that turned its head in an effort to see May's face. He was almost satisfied by seeing this new relationship, but remembered something about the poochyena. There was always a pack leader, and that was usually a mightyena. If they were to stay for too long, that chick would have no chance against the impending doom that await them.

"Come on, let's go back to my lab. I can introduce myself properly and assess the situation in more depth. Besides," he paused as he stood up, "If we stay here for long, more will come for revenge."

"They attack for revenge?" May asked as she followed the professor's movements.

"Definitely. Pokemon aren't just mindless creatures. They're different from ordinary animals; they are sentient. However savage or barbaric some may seem, they are still following some sort of codex built within their version of society."

He took the pokeball from May and returned the bird to its confines. After placing it inside his briefcase, the two of them walked their way toward the light of Littleroot.

"How do you know so much about that? I always thought that pokemon just attack for food and territory," May inquired.

"Well, it's not as simple as that. Every being fights for their basic needs to survive, only humans and pokemon do so in a slightly more – let's call it – sophisticated sort of way. And to answer your question properly, my field of research is pokemon habitat and culture. I study where they live and how they act around each other, other species, and humans in the environment they thrive in," he answered. "Truth be told, I was on my way back from a short field expedition on routes 101 and 103. Everything was fine up until those poochyena began to attack me. Then, lo and behold, you come to save the day," he exclaimed with pride.

May felt a little embarrassed at his way of explaining it. She had only thought it as a good deed – the right thing to do. However, she would be lying to herself if she thought the professor's gratitude was unnecessary.

"Yeah, Brendan told me about your 'escapes' to the field," she mentioned while trying to bite back a smile. The professor immediately paused with a look of devastation on his face until May cleared things up, "It's alright. Your secret is safe with the two of us."

"Thank you," he said, exhaling in a heavy sigh of relief. "So, I take it you've already met my boy?"

"Yep. He's a good kid… you should be proud," May replied. She felt a bit of remorse towards the end, especially comparing Brendan's family relationship with hers. Luckily, the professor hadn't caught on as easily.

"Indeed I am-"

"May?!" Brendan called out from the edge of Littleroot. When he laid eyes on her, as well as his father, he smiled thankfully and ran to the two of them. "There you are. Where did you run off to?" he asked worriedly to May's surprise and – admittedly – her annoyance.

"Oh, hi Brendan. It's alright, I didn't just get attacked by three poochyena," Professor Birch interjected, saving May from trying to explain herself.

"Really? Then good; you know how it feels to be alone and unafraid," Brendan shot back.

"Okay, Brendan. I got scared! What do you want from me? A pokemon?"

"Oh really?! You'll finally give me a pokemon?" Brendan asked with a 180 degree turn in his facial expression.

"I can't just hand them out willingly!" The professor argued.

"That's your job!" Brendan retorted.

Seeing the exchange of words between father and son forced May into a hysterical fit from which she could not escape. The two men looked at her and back to each other. Realizing that the situation was a bit comical, they both joined the young lady in laughter.

From afar, a mischievous poltergeist couldn't help but giggle as well.


	3. Blue Skies and Shaking Grass

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

 **Blue Skies and Shaking Grass**

The community gathering for the new neighbors came to a satisfactory end somewhere past midnight. Children became tired, men got drunk, and the women took care of both. Unfortunately, Norman Maple was unable to attend due to a long night of extra training, but that wouldn't stop Caroline nor the rest of Littleroot from enjoying themselves.

The next morning, May woke from her sleep earlier than usual. The sun had not crept over the horizon just yet, giving May the visual advantage of sneaking out. However, she wasn't intending on partaking in any negative activities. No; she was heading over to the Littleroot Laboratory to spend the day with Professor Birch and her new friend, Brendan.

May showered and dressed in a slightly more formal attire than yesterday. She wore denim shorts and a green shirt. With her fanny pack around her waist and a small spritz of perfume, she was off.

Along the way, she ran into a few joggers with their pokemon. They each gave their greetings to each other and let May continue on with her trek.

Finally, she had made it to the southernmost portion of Littleroot connecting the wilds of Hoenn with the laboratory. The lights were on, indicating that scientists, or janitors, were indeed inside. Without hesitation, she went through the automatic doors and looked around.

Truth be told, she had never seen the inside of a Pokemon Lab before. She had just figured a typical white room with cords, machines, and filled test tubes would be what she walked into, but not here. It was surprisingly open – there was room that would allow a few kangaskhan to hop freely with their young. To her, it would seem that Professor Birch's mission statement of studying pokemon habitat and behavior was indeed noble.

"Boo!" she heard as something poked her side. With a shiver and a tremble, she hopped and screamed until she realized whose voice it was.

"Dammit, Brendan!" She turned around to see Brendan rolling around on the ground.

"I'm… sorry," he said in between laughs. "I had no idea… you were ticklish."

The mild prankster continued laughing until he felt a rather solid object against a rather forbidden area. As quickly as he felt it, his reign of hilarity had ended and an expression of fear and subordination came to his face.

"You think that's funny?" May asked sweetly with a smile – a deadly combination with her physical actions.

"I'm sorry," Brendan muttered.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," May responded adding a little more pressure with her foot, "What was that?"

"I'm sorry," Brendan said a little louder.

"You know," May said, now practically standing on Brendan's jewels of life, "If you really love them so much, I would be able to hear you-"

"I'm sorry!" Brendan squealed. May's brain went numb for a moment trying to process what she had just heard. When she came to, she began laughing at him. When she dropped to the ground, her foot came off of Brendan's groin and he was able to breathe.

"Did I miss something?" a new voice called out to the two of them. Immediately, the two stood up and dusted themselves off in the presence of Brendan's dad, Thomas Birch.

"No!" Both simultaneously assured the older gentleman. He simply put his hands up and gave up on what he had just walked into – even though he had seen enough to make him want to keep his distance from May.

"Well, good. Brendan, I have some news for you. Follow me," he said as he walked past the two teenagers.

"Me too, Professor Birch?" May asked.

"Oh right! I'm sorry, I completely forgot about you," he confessed with honest intentions. "Um… How about you wait in the trainer wing. I'll come meet you there in an hour or so. Come on son!" he said as he sped away.

[…]

When May was but a child, her father had shared stories of the first time he had walked into the trainer wing of a pokemon lab. It was always something of awe and wonder akin to visiting an amusement park for the first time.

For what Norman was worth to May, she could at least rely on his tales as a young trainer. This section of the laboratory was indeed wondrous. One side of the room was a window looking into the southern forest of Hoenn. The walls were fitted with shelves full of pokeballs and trainer manuals. Pictures of trainers, pokemon, and both adorned these walls giving the room a joyful vibe.

The electronic capabilities were just as amazing in May's eyes. In one of the corners, a row of desks and computers sat waiting to make video calls across the continent. In the opposite corner was a Chemical Health and Neurological Center (CHNC); or, in other words: a healing machine.

May spun around as she took in the scenery and stopped upon sighting a pedestal holding three pokeballs. She looked around her to check for any human eyes peering before curiosity took her.

Upon reaching the pedestal, she studied each pokeball when an idea came to her. She smiled and picked up a pokeball. She held it close to her face and inspected it as if she was making a very difficult decision. She then shook her head and placed it upside down in its spot. She then went to the next pokeball and repeated her actions before moving on to the third.

After inspecting the final pokeball, May nodded and then thrust her arm outwards saying, "I choose you," with a giggle. She felt like one of the Elites on TV; the ones that always recited that ridiculous line. However, she was surprised to find the phrase more empowering than embarrassing.

"I choose you-Oh shhhhoot!" She said while turning around and seeing Professor Birch holding a coffee mug with a flabbergasted expression.

"May," the professor acknowledged.

"Professor," May acknowledged before swiping her behind her back to hide the pokeball.

"You know that's empty… right?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," May admitted while placing the pokeball back on its place on the pedestal. "I just got caught in the mom-"

"You don't need to explain to me, May," Birch chuckled, "I can't count how many times I've walked into Brendan doing the exact same thing."

May knew that the professor was trying to assure her, but relating her to his son was embarrassing in a way. It made her want to shift topics.

"So what'd you do with him anyways?"

"Who, Brendan? I sent him on an errand to Route 103," Birch said casually.

Now, May wasn't too keen on the wilds of Hoenn, but she knew for sure that an errand from Professor Birch, especially for his field, involved heading to that destination on foot… beyond the grass.

"Wait, isn't that dangerous? He doesn't have a pokemon yet-"

"Actually," the professor interrupted, "He does. I gave him one just now to keep him safe. Which is why I invited you here. If you don't mind, I'd like for you to accompany him. You know, it's a dangerous world out there. Whether Brendan jokes about it or not, he is still my son, and I worry about him. I told him to wait, but he was so excited about going out on his own that he left before I even blinked."

"That's… kind of you, Professor Birch, but I don't think I'll be of much help to your son. I don't even have a pokemon of my own."

"And that is why I brought you here," the professor said gesturing the room.

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"When I saw you handle Torchic last night, you fared well in battle. Your resolve, ingenuity, and trust saved all three of us. At that moment, I knew you were going to make a great trainer. In fact, I was surprised that the daughter of a gym leader had not received her own pokemon yet. Which is why I'm going to give you this," he said while holding out a pokeball.

"Your… giving me a pokemon?" May asked out of shock. Receiving a pokemon, especially from a region's head of pokemon research, was a great responsibility and honor to uphold. Usually, young trainers would line up for the chance to receive a pokemon. For a professor to hand one out was a rare and special case. May remembered her brother, Max, telling her about how there were only 3 cases of this in Indigo so far.

"Do you not want him?" Birch asked.

"No, I do! It's just… all sudden. Do you really think I'm ready to handle a Pokemon?"

"Well, just take him along with you until you return along with Brendan. If you're ready, then we can talk about making you an official trainet… should you want to."

May slowly reached out and took the pokeball from the professor's hand. She studied it carefully, unlike her feint before this conversation, and gripped it with her finger over the button. The ridges in its texture were comforting to grip around. She pressed the button and the ridges expanded and turned, allowing the pokeball to grow to full size.

She turned away from Birch and looked towards an empty space. With curiosity reaching her, she tossed the orb underhanded. The kinetic motion started the inner-mechanics of the sphere and released the seal, opening the orb and allowing a strange light to escape and form on the ground in front of May. The ball rolled away and May glued her eyes on the familiar orange chick she had met last night.

Upon recognition of his trainer, the torchic chirped loudly and ran to May's legs where he nuzzled his head. May bent down to pick up the loveable bird and marveled at his warm texture – as if he was a fuzzy blanket fresh out of the dryer.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then. I've got to continue my research, but could you ask Brendan to give me a call when you find him?" The professor asked as he walked out of the room. May stood there, albeit heartened from his generous gift, stunned from his blind trust in May to carry out this task. She wasn't so accustomed to this level of trust back in Johto, so experiencing this raised several flags in her mind.

But what did it matter? She was about to spend the day with this lovable chick.

* * *

Unfortunately for Professor Birch's efforts, while May was indeed very skilled for a beginning trainer, her lack of knowledge of the terrain and navigation skills would become the bane of her existence. Thankfully, she grabbed a map of Hoenn inside the Trainer's Wing just before she had left.

However, she was not saved from the repercussions of not knowing how to read such a map. In the two hours it took to walk from the Lab to about a kilometer in Route 101, she had circled three times only to be saved by the main service road neighboring the foot trail.

"Alright, May," she spoke to herself, "Just follow the road straight, to the right, then to the left, and you'll make it to Oldale." She thanked the powers above that the sun began to rise. She wouldn't need the flashlight for much longer. With that thought, and a little bit of light illuminating her way, she began to walk much faster…

Until she felt something holding her back… literally. She shined her light on her leg to find a sticky substance stretching back into the bushes. May could only shiver in disgust at the prospect of what was behind that bent down and tried breaking the silk, but even her hands were caught in its adhesive nature.

"Of course, this happens to me," she muttered. She was thankful for not having an innate fear of bugs; Arceus only knows what kind of stress she would be going under in those conditions. May stopped squirming when she, very subtly, felt the tension of the silk getting stronger by the second. She looked back towards the shrub from where the silk originated and watched as a large, red caterpillar crawled out ever-so-slowly.

Its eyes were glazed over and seemed to pull in the silk out of blind habit rather than hungry intention. This settled May's worries, but this situation was still too creepy to let go. She wanted to bring out Torchic, but with her hands still stuck to the web, she wasn't able to reach for his pokeball.

She cursed and stood in silence for a moment before a solution came to her. May was still wearing those fingerless gloves from yesterday. She had always packed them with her in case a rough errand was required of her, and she wore them when she was taking care of such errands.

Carefully, and without touching the silk with her bare fingers, May reached her fingers on one hand to the base of the glove on the opposite. Next, she slowly pulled the glove over and released her hand from the confines of the caterpillar's silk.

She squealed silently in success and went on to the next glove. However, before she could even touch the other, another string of web shout out from the caterpillar's jaw and latched onto May's free hand – putting her right back in the same situation. The bug gained an expression of annoyance and began to move faster towards the young women. It shot more webbing to May's arms, chest, and other leg.

Now, May was scared. Now, May knew this bug had intentions. Now, May was in danger of a foreign pokemon with unknown strengths. She knew that all pokemon were weak to those of fire typing, and that Torchic would be the perfect savior in this case, but there was little to no way of getting that orange chick outside.

So what could May do? She did the only thing that was left: she called for Torchic.

"Torchic," she began awkwardly, "If you can hear me, I can really use your help right about now." May struggled as she let the words out of her mouth, but they were not met with response.

"Torchic, I really need some help. SO, if you can just come on out, that be great!" she said a little louder. Still, the pokeball didn't even wiggle. At this point, the caterpillar had reached May's legs. It began circling around her and crawling upwards in a spiral-like motion until it reached her chest level and stared at her with beady eyes.

"TORCHIC I CHOOSE Y-" May's mouth was shut by another web from the bug's mouth and an additional one went to Torchic's pokeball, preventing it from getting out. May's eyes shifted their attention to the large horn on its forehead. She watched as a drop of green liquid was excreted while the caterpillar's jaw began clicking and clicking while moving closer to her face.

A few tears escaped from her eyes, but she wasn't done fighting yet. She still had one more idea before she would allow herself to die at the hands of an Arceus-damned insect. While the insect had near-smothered her in webbing, she wasn't anchored to the ground.

With that, May jumped as high as she could and did the unthinkable: she purposely fell, belly-down and face-first, onto the ground. The insect that had threatened her life just a moment ago was now a heap of exoskeleton and goo.

With as much effort as she could muster, May was able to pull off the silk from her hands and Torchic's pokeball. She released the fire chick and ordered him to lightly burn the remaining silk on her clothes and skin. She groaned loudly when the fire-type accidently burned a hole in her shirt, exposing her midriff.

She was close to scolding the little chick, but with those sparkling eyes and loveable chirp, she couldn't resist. So, with a smile, she petted the birds crest and said, "Okay." To Torchic, however, this wasn't an acknowledgment: this was an order of permission for a question that May, due to being human, couldn't understand.

The torchic turned around and hopped on over to the bloody heap of what was a live pokemon not even 10 minutes ago. There, it began feasting on both the carcass and innards of the bug-type. May could only look in disgust, but she understood: this was the world of pokemon.

 _"They fight, they die, some eat, and some get eaten. It's all part of how the world works."_

As Torchic finished up his breakfast, the two partners walked side by side towards the town of Oldale. While they were walking, May couldn't help but think back to the person who had said that undeniable truth to her a long time ago.

* * *

Norman Maple stared expressionless onto the field that lay between him and his challenger. Hardly over the age of seventeen, the boy who challenged him was lacking in experience, and Norman noticed it.

His form while giving orders were weak. He was unsure of himself, and he couldn't think under pressure. Looking at the size of the boy's hariyama, Norman could easily tell that his challenger had only made it this far due to sheer strength and typing advantage. All of his commands were offensive, and he couldn't see a trap if it hit him in the face.

As the smoke cleared, the hariyama was visibly unable to continue any longer, and the match went to the gym leader, Norman.

"Hariyama is unable to battle," announced the official, "With no pokemon able to continue, the match goes to the Gym Leader, Norman!" The small crowd on the bleachers cheered for both challenger and leader as the boy somberly returned his pokemon to its ball.

Norman walked into the field and gave Slaking a gentle pat before making his way towards the challenger. His face was as stern as a military general, and he walked with both pride and purpose. When he arrived at the opposite end of the field, the challenger shuddered. Like thunder over a clear sky, the gym leader spoke.

"That was a good match there, Saito. Just remember, not everything is about strength and typing. For instance, if you had used protect on Hariyama, Slaking's attack would be rendered useless, and his nature would leave him vulnerable long enough for the next attack," Norman spoke with a gentle smile. The first challenger of the day, Saito, nodded and thanked the gym leader for his advice.

Immediately following, the Gym went on a one-hour break for Norman to prepare for his next match. He turned Slaking over to his personal Nurse Joy and left to his office.

"Hello Mr. Maple," a man spoke behind him. He turned around to find a middle-aged man in a hat smiling at him.

"Can I help you?" Norman asked, trying to not be fazed by this awkward surprise.

"Actually," the man said, taking on a more depressing attitude, "Yes."

* * *

May groaned when she finally reached the outskirts of Oldale. Not only was she attacked by countless caterpillar, which a passerby pointed out as 'Wurmple', but also numerous poochyena and zigzagoon. If it wasn't for the potion that she stole from the lab, her Torchic would be out-cold, or even dead at this point. May had to resort to keeping him inside his ball so he could get the proper rest.

"Hello there," a stranger in a blue uniform called out to her. "Are you a new trainer?" he asked with pizazz. Before May could get anything but a stuttering "what" out, the man spoke again.

"Well, don't be shy. Why don't you check out our _new_ stock in the PokeMart?!" May, looking as lost as ever, could only utter a single "wh-"

"Tell you what," the man interrupted, "I'll give you this potion, no charge, no strings attatched, no price. Simply free, a gift, a promotional present from us to you. If you like this product, then be sure to come down to the Oldale Pokemart for more. Until then, have a great adventure!" the man said with a smile so bright that it blocked out the morning sun.

May stood there in shock after what had just happened. She looked at her hands and saw the potion that was given to her before she looked up. She looked down and then up once again.

"…What?"

After a moment of processing, May shook off the event and released Torchic from his ball. She pulled off the cap and carefully put the tip of the bottle to Torchics side and pressed the button. With audible click, the potion was administered into the fire-type's blood stream and, within minutes, Torchic was back to full health.

May was thankful that this saved time from going to the pokemon center and the two made their way into the small town.

Oldale was more like a community than an actual town. Each of the buildings were aligned alongside the road running from Route 101 to Route 103, and an additional road created a T-intersection running west towards Route 102. The Town wasn't necessarily large, and May could see the edge of Route 103 from Route 101.

As she walked through, she took in the scenery and people that resided in the community. Everyone was smiling, similar to her experience in Littleroot. It made her think that all of Hoenn was just as happy and bright. As she passed the road to Route 102, she noticed a young man arguing with two other citizens about something.

May did stop by the Pokemart to pick up another potion, a bottle of water, and a couple of sandwiches for her and Brendan. With those in hand, she made her way to Route 103.

The trail on Route 103 was more defined, and had less vegetation than the deathtrap that was Route 101 – making her journey north more suitable and less vulnerable to attacks from wild pokemon. As she looked up, she watched several birds with long wingspans flying against the breeze. It looked as if they were suspended in air and not moving at all.

"Is that a Torchic?" May heard a voice ask. She looked towards the source and saw a similarly-aged boy wearing a blue cap. He looked interested in the pokemon that walked and chirped along May's side.

"Yes it is," May acknowledged.

"Wow! Two rare pokemon in one day!" the teenage boy exclaimed, leaving May in wonder.

"Really?" she asked. "What was the other one?"

"It was a Mudkip. Yeah, its trainer is just up the hill to the north," he said pointing in the general direction.

"Was he, by any chance, wearing a white hat?" May asked.

"Yeah… do you know him?"

"He's my friend. I was actually supposed to look for him."

"Are you going to battle?" the boy asked with stars in his eyes.

"What? Oh no, I was just going to help him out with some research. You want to come along?" She asked, seeing as this person seemed to be a little more interested in pokemon than she was.

"Really?! Sure!" he exclaimed before a device in his pocket started to ring. May watched as he pulled the pokegear out and answered the call. While she was waiting, she bent down to pet Torchic. The little bird chirped in pleasure at the touch of his trainer's hands and began involuntarily kicking his foot on the ground.

"Sorry," the stranger said as he put away his pokegear. "My friend needs help with someone on Route 102. Something about a guy looking at footprints."

"It's no problem," May assured him. "I have to see if my friend is doing alright too. It was nice to meet you though."

"The name's Rick," the man said holding out a hand.

"May," she responded while shaking Rick's hand. The two went their separate ways and May continued north to find Brendan.

[…]

"Alright," Brendan said while looking at his notes. They were scribbled all over with errors, corrections, and observations as well as advice from his father.

"The pokemon on Route 103 include Poochyena, Zigzagoon, and Wingull. No sign of…"

Too busy with his notes, Brendan couldn't hear the light footsteps approaching from behind him. An entity with malicious intent closed the distance and sneaked closer and closer to him until the boy was within arm's length. The entity then reached out its arms at the boy and, without a sound, began to tickle his sides.

"WHAA!" Brendan shouted as he jumped up from the scare. He spun around to find May and a Torchic laughing uncontrollably. He groaned and put his notes back inside his bag.

"Got you back, Brendan," May poked with glee.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," the young man said angrily. Though, he couldn't stay angry at May. He did scare her this morning.

"So, what are you doing here?" May asked, recovering from her spell.

"My dad was going on about how there were sightings of a strange pokemon in this area. He wanted me to investigate it."

"Alone?" May pointed out, "Why didn't your dad come?"

"After skipping out on the party last night, my mom has him on a pretty tight leash. He isn't allowed to leave the house for two days…"

"Wait, wait, wait," May stopped him, "Your mom _grounded_ him?"

"Weird family, I know," Brendan admitted with a laugh that was joined by May. Suddenly, an audible grumble was heard originated from Brendan's stomach. "Oh man, I forgot to eat this morning," he sighed with disappointment.

May, on the other hand, had planned this out beforehand. She pulled the sandwiches out from her bag and handed one to Brendan. He was thoroughly surprised and thankful at the same time.

Brendan got down on one knee and bowed his head in front of May, "Thank you, my savior. I dub you, 'Queen of Snacks'." Both laughed afterwards and May threw the snack at his face for being 'bad at jokes'.

As the two ate, they each discussed their experiences on routes 101 and 103, with Brendan having the less intensive experience. May was sure to leave out her first experience with wurmple for being too disturbing, but she told Brendan about how horrible it was walking through the woods with only one pokemon.

That conversation lead to another about each other's pokemon. May was able to find out about Mudkip's typing, features, and natures. She was joyed to see that Torchic and Mudkip got along just fine, making them quick friends. To her, it almost seemed like a nice date between her and Brendan – a thought that was immediately pushed out of her mind.

"You okay?" Brendan asked.

"Oh yeah," May lied, "Just thought about this morning."

"Oh yeah Route 101. I guess it could be dangerous if you're not prepared," the young man mused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" May asked with faux anger.

"Haha, nothing… Hey May," Brendan asked.

"Yeah"

"You wanna have a battle?" May, caught off guard, choked on her food while the two domesticated pokemon seemed to cheer with glee. "It seems that the two of them wouldn't mind," Brendan commented to better persuade May.

"Yeah, but I'm not that good. I've never even battled with them before," She argued to avoid the prospect.

"Oh yeah," Brendan said, catching on to May's antics, "Then how'd you get to Oldale?"

'Dammit,' May thought to herself.

"Come on, it'll help Torchic get some experience in battling against wild pokemon."

May thought about the suggestion. It was true that Torchic needed the experience, and it sounded like a bit of fun. However, the truth that resided deep inside of her said that she didn't want to get anyone – human or pokemon – hurt.

Torchic chirped at May with a tilted head. Those sparkling eyes gave light to the fire within the feisty pokemon. How could she say no to a face like that?

"Alright," she conceded, "Let's have a battle."

"Alright!" Brendan exclaimed before jumping up and running across the way from May. Mudkip followed suit and Torchic began to chirp even louder while jumping up and down. The scene was so adorable that May couldn't help but giggle.

Upon reaching the end of the field, Brendan pumped his fist in the air, "Alright! Let's do this! Mudkip, show 'em what you're made of!" The mudkip responded with a squeal and faced Torchic with a face full of determination.

"You ready, Torchic?" May asked with a hint of uncertainty. Signaling his approval with an ember shot into the air, Torchic was fired up – making May clear any bad thoughts in her head in order to focus on the battle.

[-]

 _"Remember, May: Always have a clear head in a pokemon battle. Your partners won't follow directions unless you give them ones that are smooth and thought-out. Just breathe, assess, and execute!"_

[-]

Those words resonated in May's head, giving her focus. She inhaled and exhaled controlled breaths and assessed Mudkip's battle-strengths from what Brendan had told her.

Mudkip was a water type, thus creating a type disadvantage for Torchic. However, Mudkip's body type mixed with its stocky four legs meant that Torchic would have the speed advantage. Seeing as that this battle was being taken place on land, Mudkip would be out of its natural element; therefore, it would only be a matter of time before Mudkip ran out of its natural water supply to use against Torchic. And, since Mudkip was amphibious…

"Torchic, begin with a growl!" May called.

"Mudkip, use Tail whip!" Brendan shouted.

Immediately, Torchic issued a loud cry in Mudkip's direction, forcing him to wince, but not enough to make him flinch. Mudkip ran in close and jumped with a spin.

"Torchic, react with an ember attack!"

"Smart," Brendan applauded, "But not smart enough; use water gun on the ground!"

Torchic fired a volley of embers at Mudkip, who was vulnerable in the air, but with Brendan's quick thinking, Mudkip was able to shoot water on the ground and propel himself up and away from the ember's direction of travel. The leftover water on the ground spread out and towards Torchic, but evaporated quicker than usual – an idea that would prove useful to May.

"Tor-"

"Mudkip, use tackle!" Brendan interrupted. Before May could react, Mudkip – who was falling to the ground at that point, shot water away from Torchic in order to propel faster towards him. Without any direction, Torchic was hit hard and tumbled backwards from the blow.

'Dammit,' May thought. 'Brendan sure isn't just a lab boy.'

"You okay Torchic?" May asked worriedly. The small chick immediately hopped up and chirped loudly as if it were unfazed. "That's great. Now do what we did last night!" she commanded a little prematurely.

"Umm… what?" Brendan asked matching Mudkip's facial expression.

Remembering May's order, Torchic jumped in the air and fired volley after volley of embers into the sky. Each one shot up like fireworks and fell to the earth and creating a field of embers. Mudkip braced himself for impact, but each ember had missed. Brendan found himself burning up from the spike in temperature and began to sweat.

"Cool tactic," Brendan said genuinely impressed. "I'll have to remember that one when I get a fire type. I'll just be sure to be more accurate; Mudkip, use water gun!"

Mudkip began to suck in the air around him to convert the hydrogen and oxygen atoms to water. Upon reaching the desired amount, Mudkip held his breath, and released everything only for water vapor to fall out of his mouth.

It was then when May's true plan was revealed to Brendan. Torchic didn't hit Mudkip not because it missed, but because Mudkip was not its target. The embers of Torchic are so hot, that any water nearby would evaporate instantly. Because Mudkip was an amphibious pokemon that needed a natural supply of water to even live, putting it in a drought-like environment would render it, and its water attacks useless.

"I don't think we need to knock each other to unconsciousness. I think neutralizing works just fine," May said with a giggle.

Brendan couldn't help but smile at her. She had won the battle not with strength, but by outsmarting him even with a type disadvantage. If that wasn't a resemblance of a gym leader's daughter, Brendan didn't know what was.

[…]

From the woodline, a ghastly entity watched onwards and giggled. It seemed just like old times as it watched the young woman battle. She reminded the entity just how alike father and daughter could be…

Even with 'divine intervention'.


End file.
